Abstract How do contemporary migrant mothers strategize return to their home countries? How does the social protection available for their bi-national children in sending and destination countries affect their decision to return? Through this contribution, we aimed to tackle these questions. We draw a comparative analysis of two longitudinal migratory careers in radically different contexts. We argue that our participants’ return decisions as well as strategies employed in order to return depend on both their bi-national children’s effective access to social protection and their subjective perceptions on ‘good-motherhood’. This transatlantic comparison shows how different national contexts, cultures of care and motherhood result in different patterns of international mobility for these women and their families.